Aldi customer who shot suspect met with DA Thursday

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MILWAUKEE -- An attempted armed robbery was foiled Monday night, after a customer took out his gun and shot the suspect. It happened around 7:00 Monday night at the Aldi store near 76th and Villard on Milwaukee's north side.

Milwaukee police say two men are in custody for the attempted armed robbery. As far as the man who shot the suspect, he met with the Milwaukee County District Attorney Thursday. It is not known at this time whether the man had a concealed carry permit. Family friends tell FOX6 the man is afraid of retaliation, so he's hiding his identity. He has not been charged at this time.

Police say the suspect came into the Aldi store armed with a shotgun, with the intent to rob the store, but the suspect left empty-handed. A customer pulled out his weapon, and shot the suspect.

Larry Rowell is the owner of Hart Auto, across the street from where this incident took place Monday night. He says the customer who fired his weapon is a hero. "To me, he's a hero. I believe he's a hero, and I believe he did the right thing, and I would've done the same," Rowell said.

Rowell says since the price of metal has gone up, a lot of catalytic converters have been stolen off his front lot, and there's been vandalism. In recent days, someone shattered the window of a Jaguar, and stole the entire console from the car. Someone also took tires and rims off a Lincoln Navigator after closing time. Rowell says he was fed up, so he applied and was granted a permit to carry a concealed weapon to protect his business. "Then, I can take matters into my own hands, like what this guy did at Aldi last night," Rowell said.

It's unclear whether the customer who fired at the suspect during the Aldi robbery had a concealed carry permit. Regardless, Rowell says he should be thanked. "We know the average citizen might be helping the business owner too, by solving crimes, so I'm happy for this - what he did last night," Rowell said.